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December 31, 2016

Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year to everyone.
Our first meeting of 2017 is almost upon us. We’ll meet at Hunter House on Tuesday, January 3 at 6:30 PM. Come early to share your turning, hunting, holiday cooking or automotive repair experiences with other turners.
This month, Bruce Lacey will be demonstrating the proper techniques for sharpening lathe tools. We’ll have at least two sharpening stations available for those who wish to sharpen their tools — with Bruce’s critical eye looking on. He is an excellent teacher and demonstrator.

So, bring those dull tools or tools you really don’t know how to sharpen and you’ll leave with tools so sharp you’ll be able to shave the beard off a goat.

Lichtenberg Figures-courtesy of Moe Gingrich

We’ll be doing the standard raffle and show and tell. If you have any items you would like to donate to the raffle (extra wood laying about your shop taking up valuable space, tools you have no clue what they do, spare gouges, etc.), please bring them along and you’ll receive one additional raffle ticket for each item (up to three). We would also like to see those unique items you’ve created over the past few months. So bring them along as well and let everyone know how you made and finished them.
Please welcome and congratulate our new officers (or share condolences as the case may be)
President: Rick Erexson
Vice Presiden: Kimberly Bass
Secretary: John Walsh
Treasurer: Gary Janes
Director: Joe Giannina
Director: Bob Meunier
We’ll be hosting the middle school kids from Omni Montessori School once again. We’ll be teaching them the basics of woodturning including safety around the lathe, tool sharpening and spindle turning. We have a few volunteers to help teach and monitor the classes but we need a few more folks to help out as well. If you have some spare time on Monday mornings in January (9, 23, 30) and/or February (6, 13), please let us know. I will have a sign-up sheet at the meeting with the dates highlighted where we need the most help.
If you have any finished Bowls of Courage, please bring them along. I will be going to the Hemby Children's Hospital on February 1 to deliver the bowls I now have.
I hope to see y’all on the 3rd,
Cheers

December 11, 2016

We have completed the Elections for a New Year of Inspiration for all of Waxhaw Woodturners. New blood, ideas, leadership and more.

Congratulations to our New Board Members and Officers. We look forward to a real great year ahead. There will be new Demonstrators, New Ideas, Techniques, and of course completely new projects ahead.

And that is exactly what we need. We all need to have something to push us to give us the courage to try something new. Perhaps an airbrush, or a piercing tool, or a threading method for those boxes we all have made so nicely with friction fitting lids. Maybe some carving to enhance a bowl? How about some sand blasting?

SO for those of you who missed our meeting on Tuesday evening, may I present to you our new Officers and Board:
President: Rick Erexson
Vice President: Kimberly Bass
Secretary: John Walsh
Treasurer: Gary Janes
Director: Joe Giannina
Director: Bob Meunier
Please feel free to offer them your heartfelt congratulations and offers of assistance as needed.
Cheers,
jpw

____________________

A big hearty Thank you to John Walsh who has guided us thru some new paths, change of venue, many new members, and new ways to advance our collective creative expressions.

Looking forward, we can see a big improvement in the last two years and the next few years. It is exciting to attempt to visualize the next horizon and projects ahead.

Congratulations to all the new Board and Officers. This a real boost to many many Woodturners and new members coming up.

October 15, 2016

There are
many advantages of being or becoming a member of the American
Association of Woodturners. A Member can access Woodturning Fundamentals
online and even print them out. I did that this month. As a turner that
has has been at the lathe for almost 20 years I still see things in
this publication that has been helpful.
When one wants to build
skills of learn how to create a project like Segmented items it helps a
lot to be able to have reference material. Below are topics in the
current or recent issues.

You can take advantage of
the Guest Turner Program at no charge if you are not a current member.
The American Woodturner is published every two months with great article
and photos of very creative projects.

The AAW would like to share the Woodturning Fundamentals
Special Edition: Turners are tops which covers the following top
projects:
• Artifacts of Enchantment
• Old German Design Spinning Top
• Keep’Em Turning: Peg Tops
• Top of the Mornin’: Finger-Snap Tops
• Battle Tops: Event, Rules, and Construction
• Battle Tops Project
• Ballerina Spinning Top
• Turning a Tippe Top
• Splash Tops
• Put a Spin on Spindle Work
• Tops, Tops, Tops
• Whip Tops
The publication is available at the following link: http://www.woodturner.org/?page=WFTurnersAreTopsFree

For non-members TAKE A FREE TEST DRIVE with an AAW Guest Membership!
LEARN
• The AAW offers the educational publications and services that
woodturners need to become successful. AAW’s many resources, such as our
award-winning American Woodturner journal, help members to learn, grow,
and thrive.

EXPLORE • Sign up for a free Guest membership at
tiny.cc/AAWGuest (case sensitive) and experience a selection of AAW’s
digital member resources for a full 60-days. Explore what we have to
offer, kick our tires, and consider becoming a full-fledged AAW member
to benefit from our complete portfolio of member publications and
services.

Thank you for your support for this effort.
Regards,
Linda Ferber, AAW Vision2020 Recruit New Members Project Team Lead
Molly Winton, Team Volunteer
Leigh Sherman, Team Volunteer
KC Kendall, Team Volunteer

September 28, 2016

October is upon us for sure. Ready for some bowl basics? Come
by and ask all the questions you can think of. We will attempt to
answer every question.
Remember, there are no questions that are too basic. We ALL
started out with little or no knowledge of woodturning.

Walnut with scalloped edge - Moe Gingerich

Bowl basics will include

Mounting blanks

Wet or dry wood?

How thin do we make the side wall?

Face plate mounting

Between centers

Use of chucks

Large jaws

Vacuum chucks

Sanding

Finishing

Polishing

Tools to use

Tuesday Oct. 4 at 6:30 PM

Come by a bit early for a cuppa. And visiting,
sharing ideas, and overall gossiping.
*Remember parking is still free if you come early enough. John
won't be at the gate
so you can slip in when he's not looking. And if you leave there
no earlier than 8:30 there will be no Exit charge.

Bring an extra tool, or nice piece of wood you can share.Or something else of value....

Our famous WWT Raffle will again have some great finds. Sir John,
or fearless leader will inspire you to do something creative.

Where: The Hunter House,
13428 Providence Rd, Matthews, NC

Come with your brains engaged.

Dates to remember: Waxhaw Fall Festival on Oct. 8 and 9
ALL About Wood, Hunter Farms, Oct
22. Demo and sell your articles and bowls: Four Lathes to
operate

Nancy
Anderson called me today and would like us to put on a demo on October
22 (Saturday) for one of Hunter Farms' fall festivities. The theme is All About Wood. She
would like us to bring a couple of lathes and turn some items and
discuss different species of wood with the attendees (what we like,
characteristics, etc.). We can also bring items we've made to sell.

Nancy
is also going to try to get other demonstrators: a local furniture
maker and (hopefully) someone with a portable saw mill.

There will also be food for sale.

We'll
discuss this more at next Tuesday's meeting (Oct 4) but we'll need at
least four folks to properly man (or lady) the lathes and chat with the
spectators.

August 23, 2016

Well, it is almost time again for another meeting. We will be meeting
on Tuesday, September 6 at 6:30 PM. However, for this iteration we will
NOT be meeting at our usual venue. We will be meeting in Sun City, SC at Joe Giannina’s shop.
Because of a lack of parking at Joe’s place, he is asking that we all
park at the Sun City Wood Shop and he will shuttle us to/from the
meeting. Directions to the shop are in the attachment. Car pooling is
encouraged.

Why are we doing this? We have scheduled a remote session with Carl Jacobson of YouTube fame using Google Hangout technology.
From his shop in Oregon, Carl will demonstrate the basics of spindle
turning as part of our ‘back to basics’ program. There is ample room in
Joe’s garage for us to watch the demo, but there is no seating so y’all
must bring your own chairs. I will bring some chairs from Hunter
House, but to make sure we have enough seating, it is advisable to bring
your own. If you are planning to attend, please let me know ASAP.

CARL JACOBSEN

Many Demos have been presented by this very good woodturner

You
will be able to ask Carl questions during the demo, so if you have
questions about the techniques Carl is going to demonstrate don’t be
shy.

As usual, we
will be holding a raffle and a show-n-tell of your recent works. If you
have any turning-related items or wood you would like to donate to the
raffle please bring it with you. Tickets are $1.00/ea. or 6/$5.00. For
each item you donate to the raffle (up to three) you’ll receive an
extra raffle ticket on the house. After the raffle is over, we’ll throw
all the tickets in the hopper and draw for the Turner of the Month
prize.

If a lot of
folks do a little work the club can grow. On the other hand, if only a
few folks do a lot of the work the club will grow stagnant and those
folks will likely burn out. So, to prevent the latter from happening
here’s a reminder about the leadership opportunities for WWT: it is not
too early to start thinking about becoming an officer or board member of
WWT. Elections will be held at the end of the year for
2017 and will include the offices of President, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer and board member(s). If you are interested in
serving, contact Moe Gingerich, Ed Trevillian, Dave McKeithan or myself.
You will be amply rewarded for your service.

If
you have any Beads of Courage boxes ready, please bring them with you
so we can get them to the kids at Hemby Children’s Hospital.

John Walsh

President Waxhaw Woodturners Club

-Remember there never has been anything in the criminal code of North Carolina about making wood chips or sanding dust. You are very very free to make as many bowl, vases, lidded boxes, and Beads of Courage boxes as you like! The Constitution of the US also does not forbid your free expression of artwork on the lathe and in the shop. Be Inspired.

July 21, 2016

Well folks, it’s almost that time again. We’re going to get together on Tuesday, August 2 at 6:30 PM. We’ll be meeting at the usual hangout place — Hunter House on Providence Road in Weddington*. As I noted last month, we are going to start a “Back to Basics” series of demonstrations. This month, Bruce Lacy will be showing us how to make a box on the lathe. He’ll be going over how to select the right blank, how to dimension the box and lid, the tools to use and his techniques for shaping and hollowing. This should be a really great demo.
In the coming months we’ll be exploring other topics in the Back to Basics series: spindle turning, bowl turning, small ornament/gift turnings and other demos. In fact, next month we will have a special program — Carl Jacobson of YouTube fame will be demonstrating spindle techniques. He’ll be joining us remotely for this demo. More info and details to come. Stay tuned.
Don’t forget to bring items you no longer need - wood, tools, blanks, etc. - to donate to the raffle. For every item you donate (up to three), you’ll be given an extra raffle ticket. Tickets are $1/ea. or 6 for $5. After the raffle is over, we’ll throw all the tickets in the hopper and draw for the Turner of the Month prize.
Come early to the meeting to share your turning stories with fellow turners and have a cup-o'-Joe or a soft drink and bring your latest turnings to share with everyone during the Show-N-Tell portion of the meeting.
And here’s a reminder about the leadership opportunities for WWT: it is not too early to start thinking about becoming an officer or board member of WWT. Elections will be held at the end of the year for 2017 and will include the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and board member(s). If you are interested in serving, contact Moe Gingerich, Ed Trevillian, Dave McKeithan or myself. You will be amply rewarded for your service.
*Hunter House is located at 13428 Providence Road in Weddington (Use Matthews as the city if using a GPS).

June 29, 2016

It's almost that time again. We will be meeting on Tuesday, July 5 at 6:30 PM. As per usual, Hunter House is the venue.
This time we'll be entertained by the duo of Rick Erexson and Gary Janes who will discuss and demonstrate their shop-made hollowing rig. This demo should be a really useful one as we'll be able to see how an inexpensive hollowing rig can be made in our own shops.
In addition to the demo, we'll be holding a raffle of woodturning-related items. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5). If you have any items you wish to donate to the raffle, I'll chip in an extra raffle ticket for each item you donate - up to three items.
Following the raffle we'll draw for the Turner of the Month item.
Guests are more than welcome; no experience necessary.
Come a few minutes early and enjoy conversation with fellow turners as well as a cup of coffee or a soft drink.
For newer folks, Hunter House is located at 13428 Providence Road in Weddington, NC. If using a GPS, use Matthews as the town. It is about three miles south of I-485, Exit 57.
Starting in August, our demos will be featuring a "Back to Basics" theme. We'll be discussing the tried and true methods of turning bowls, boxes, spindles and other items. If you are new to turning, or just want to brush up on your techniques, these demos are right up your alley.
If you would like to be part of the Back to Basics demo team, let me know and we can work you into the rotation. We're especially looking for someone to demo spindle techniques.
See you on the 5th.
Cheers,
John P. Walsh

May 29, 2016

Hey there, WWTers. In just two short weeks we'll once again
gather at Hunter House at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, June 7 for
our monthly meeting. This month, Joe Giannina will demonstrate
vacuum chucking and all the ins and outs of using these
systems. Don't miss this opportunity to investigate an
alternative work holding method. This is especially relevant to
those who have problems finishing the bottom of work pieces.

We'll also be doing the normal things once again:
Show-n-Tell, Raffle (tickets $1.00 each or six for $5.00) and
Turner of the Month drawing. If you have any excess turning
tools or accessories or wood you cannot use, donate them to the
raffle. For each item (up to three) that you donate, you'll
receive one extra raffle ticket.

Come early to partake in a cup of coffee or a soft drink and
share your Woodturning stories with fellow turners.

Guests are always welcome. If you know anyone interested in
turning or learning to turn, bring them along.

We're seeking demonstrators for the months of August through
December. Remember, this is your club, so please don't hesitate
to step up to volunteer to show us how turn your favorite items,
demonstrate a new technique or show us how unique tools or jigs
work.

Finally, don't forget to put Saturday, June 18 on your
calendar. We'll be turning Beads of Courage bowls for kids
undergoing serious medical procedures. We'll start about 9:00 AM
and hope to finish up around lunch time or shortly thereafter.
Bring your best bowl gouges and finishing materials. We'll
supply the coffee ☕️, doughnuts and bananas . This is a great
opportunity for those who haven't turned a lot of bowls to learn
how and to help a child cope with medical procedures. We'll
have more info at the June 7 meeting.

And finally, finally ... The annual AAW symposium in Atlanta
starts Thursday, June 9 and runs through Sunday noon. Let me
know if you plan to be three so we might be able to plan a group
meal or two.

April 26, 2016

Hey there Woodturners. This month's meeting will be on Tuesday
evening, May 3 at 6:30 PM. We'll meet at Hunter House
(13428 Providence Road) in Weddington (if using a GPS enter the
town name as Matthews).

This month our featured demonstrator - direct from
his Winter hiatus in sunny, warm Sarasota, Florida - is Moe
Gingerich. Moe will show us how to decorate turnings
using E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C-I-T-Y! The technique Moe
will use is called Lichtenberg Figures or Lichtenberg Fractals.
In a nut shell, attaching probes to a piece of wood and
applying an electric charge produces a series of branch-like
figures on the surface of the wood. See the attached photos for
examples. This demo should be one of the more interesting demos
of the year so far.

Come early to the meeting to share your turning stories with
fellow turners and have a cup-o'-Joe or a soft drink.

We'll be holding the raffle as usual. Tickets are $1.00 each
or five for $6.00. Bring unwanted tools or wood to put on the
raffle table and earn an extra raffle ticket for each item you
donate. After the raffle, we'll hold the Turner of
the Month drawing. As a reminder, the Turner of the
Month is the person who won the TotM drawing the previous month.
If you win the current drawing, all you need to do is turn a
small object of your choice and place in the box for the
following month's drawing.

Additionally, Rick Erexson is going to auction off a Delta
Radial Arm saw. Bidding will likely be via email and will
include Waxhaw Woodturners, Souther Piedmont Woodturners and
Charlotte Woodworkers. Profits from the sale will be split
between WWT and SPW. Many thanks to Rick for this. Rick will
provide more details at the meeting -- won't you Rick 😉.

And don't forget to bring your latest turnings to share with
everyone during the Show-N-Tell portion of the meeting.

We
have an upcoming turning event as well this month. On Saturday,
May 7 we will be turning small items, e.g., tops, boxes
and honey dippers, for sale to help raise a few bucks for the
club. We'll be at Hunter Farms (next to our meeting location)
helping to celebrate the opening of Hunter Farm's
strawberry picking season. We would really like to have
as many Waxhaw Woodturners present as possible whether your
turning or not. Bring some of your turnings to sell to the
attendees - remember the next day is Mothers' Day so a lot of
folks will be looking to those last minute, hard-to-find,
unique, hand-made items for Mom. More details will be
available at the meeting and in an upcoming reminder email.

We
are still seeking demonstrators for the months of July through
December. Please share your talents with your fellow turners.
If you are interested, please let Moe or me know. If you
know of someone outside our club who I is interested in doing
a demo, please let us know as well.

And
speaking of December, it is not too early to start thinking
about becoming an officer or board member of WWT. Elections
will be held at the end of the year for 2017 and will include
the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer
and board member(s). If you forget about this during the
upcoming months, fear not. We'll be sending our periodic
reminders and talking about this in the upcoming meetings.

March 14, 2016

How often we have wanted to make a nice thread that works. We can chase them by hand and get frustrated when it just doesn't seem to slide as we like. Or get something fancy that seems too expensive. Or come to this demo!

How and Why will all be answered by the Duelling Jig Demo Team on April 5, 2016 Come out to learn all you need to know. Each one has promised you will be able to thread your wood boxes properly or it won't cost a bit.

Where: The Hunter House
13428 providence Road
Weddington

Starts at 6:30, come early for a Cuppa (it's free!), some good woodturning friends, more knowledge that your can recall, and a good WWT Raffle. Bring a nice piece of wood or a tool you no longer use to share with someone that needs it so bad they can taste it!

Bring that nice piece you made to show to others. Yes! We want to see your expertise or your very first turned item. Come and get inspired with new ideas and tips from others. We are all helpful folks that love to share.

Parking is still free. Tips are available for whomever attends -no kidding.

May2016 Woodturner of the Month:Les Stewart
Be sure to congratulate him and check out his pieces.

Come and watch the chips fly! Encourage a new turner-that's what it's all about.

February 27, 2016

The March demo is going to be by Walt Hazelrigg who will
show us turning then colourizing a bowl. Walt was the Turner of
the Month at Concord in January and our Fearless Leader Sir John Walsh was fortunate enough to
win the turned and dyed bowl he made. Here are some photos of
the bowl Sire Walter made.

Sir Walter is usings a number of creative application along with Mrs. Sir Walter. Sure do Hope Kathy comes along and contributes. She is what makes Walter tick!
Now a fair warning is in approriate here: You may get hit with creative ideas if you come to this unique demonstration. When exposed to artistic endeavors you may be at risk of getting bit by the bug.
At least you can rest assured that it is not detrimental to your health even if it could be come a terminal conditon. For sure, woodturning is a terminal problem for me. I will need to be involved in this creative outlet for the rest of my life!!
It is a good condition to have giving great staisfaction to all who are bitten.

Come bringing a nice piece of wood you don't need, or an extra tool to put on the raffle that you haven't used in 6 months. Someone else is just 'itchen' to have that device and will almost kill for it.